Umbrellas

Never trust a Slug with $100 and any iota of responsibility, Shrimpy should have known better.

New Music Review - Marilyn Manson

On Tuesdays I'm going to do something a little different.  This spot will be open for any number of things including music reviews (both live and recorded) as well as general rants and/or raves.  If you have a suggestion for a review of any kind or something that you think deserves to ranted about, let me know.  We begin with a review of the newly released Marilyn Manson album.

Born Villain-Marilyn Manson

Admittedly, I came late to the game when it comes to Marilyn Manson.  Aside from the random radio friendly versions of songs and news articles about his “horrible effect on the human race” I did not actually listen to much Manson when I was younger and, arguably, in his heyday.  My first album of his (and still one of my favorites) was Mechanical Animals, but even then I think I bought it used, many years after it was released.  You see, Marilyn Manson was forbidden in my home, much like Alice Cooper may have been in a previous generation.  Instead of sneaking Manson records home inside a Pat Boone case though I just went with the flow, and my parent’s wishes.  I didn’t think I was missing much, and definitely not anything that couldn’t be rectified upon my emigration from my childhood home. 

While Manson started out as a prototypical “shock rocker” that seemed to generate more headlines for what he did on stage than his actual music, he has quietly graduated to a musician that seems to be getting better musically.  Now there is a fine line with changing your musical style as you mature as a person.  It can go horribly wrong, think St. Anger era Metallica, or it can be completely unnecessary, think Motorhead, who has pretty much sounded the same for around thirty years now.

Sometimes though, changing things up and finding a different direction can be a good thing, and Manson has done a lot of that in his career.  From being loud and intrusive on his earlier releases to more subdued works such as Mechanical Animals, to more of a poppier sound on Golden Age of Grotesque, Manson has run the gamut of appropriate musical styles.  With the return of his collaborator Twiggy on Eat Me, Drink Me he got back to his old ways while incorporating a little more hookiness throughout the album (as opposed to one or two songs that screamed radio hit, ie Disposable Teens).  While Eat Me, Drink Me was good, and got Manson back into his groove of the quiet-to-loud musical  dynamic that he and Twiggy have damn near perfected, it was not until the follow up The High End of Low that he really got a consistent effort and a consistent album that was both heavy but also understated at points to provide respite, however brief, for the listeners. 

I will admit that “Tourniquet” is my favorite Manson tune, ever since I first heard it on the radio, but after hearing the much more understated “Four Rusted Horses” on The High End of Low, “Tourniquet” is getting a run for its money.  It is this ability to have a slower song in the middle of your album with basically just Manson and a guitar, without any overproduction that shows that he has matured as an artist.

This brings us to Born Villain.  After The High End of Low I was definitely anticipating the release of this album just to see where Manson was going to go.  While he did not completely blow me away, he did not disappoint.  The entire album seemed like a throwback to the “old days” while still heading in this newer direction of growth that he has shown recently.  It really picks up on the second song and does not let up in terms of quality until about midway through.  When I first listened to this album I figured that it would be one of those albums that you only play half of and then switch out to something else.  That would be doing a complete disservice to the final two songs on the album (not including the bonus track, we’ll get to that) that are phenomenal pieces in their own right.  I can definitely see putting those songs last to keep interest in the entire album (not that I think it matters much in this digital music age, but the planning and forethought on Manson’s part were appreciated).

We already know that Manson is not a vocal powerhouse and I am sure he will admit to that himself if you ask him.  No one is comparing him to Bruce Dickinson or Robert Plant, but when he tries to actually sing it can have surprising results (as previously mentioned in the song “Four Rusted Horses”).  He brings a lot of vulnerability to his songs because of the strain you can tell he puts on his voice.  The only real problem that I have with Born Villain is the absence of this on many of the songs in the middle of the album.  I understand that a good portion of Marilyn Manson the artist is screaming and making sure everything is louder than everyone else, but to follow up an album like The High End of Low, which balances the two aspects perfectly in my mind with an album that tends to focus a little too much on that louder part of his music is a bit of a disappointment.   

If there is one thing that Manson can do better than most anyone, it is cover a song.  From “Sweet Dreams” to “Tainted Love”, he has always been able to keep his signature sound while still staying true to the source material.  He doesn’t disappoint with his cover of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”.  While it is not as good of a cover as the abovementioned tracks, it is still a quality song.  Oftentimes we equate “covers” albums from artists not known for doing covers with the end of an artist’s career, almost like they are out of their own ideas.  Two of these albums that immediately spring to mind are Queensryche and Ozzy’s cover albums, which while both well done, were nothing special to write home about.  I have a feeling if Manson did a cover album it would be the exact opposite just because of how he approaches his covers.  

While this album is by no means perfect, it starts out very strong and finishes even stronger, with a very solid cover thrown in at the end for good measure, but has a few weak points in the middle where Manson regresses too far to his old habits of just screaming every word; the album as a whole is very good.  I will definitely be keeping it in the regular rotation for quite a while and suggest that you give it a chance too.

Strippers

After the two strips on the weekend, we now begin at the beginning.  

The takeaway from this strip is to always know your audience.

Disclaimer Memorandum

Eat @ Shrimpy’s will be an online comic strip that while relatively safe for work, will not subscribe to the politically correct culture that has invaded society.  Any comments will be welcome regardless of the content as long as they are well written and not blatant attacks on another person.  While the comic strip may be polarizing at times, humor is always the main goal (as with most strips, except for many that you find in the newspaper).  There will be times when you may feel slightly offended or that a line has been crossed.  Please note that another strip two days prior that you found hilarious could elicit that same feeling of offense in another individual.  If you stick around long enough you will find that no one is safe from ridicule and no punches will be pulled in any direction. 

Because the basic premise of Eat @ Shrimpy’s revolves around a group of friends living and working together, multiple personalities can and will emerge.  Some of these personalities you will be able to personally identify with while others you may have seen in your friends or colleagues.  Regardless, please realize that this is a work of fiction (as if the cartoon shrimp, slug, etc. wasn’t enough of a clue for you) and that it should be treated as such.  While no one is safe from ridicule here be they living or dead, the whole idea is to illicit laughter, not make a political commentary. 

Eat @ Shrimpy’s will challenge your funnybone.  It will help you look into yourself and determine what you feel is funny.  Some moments you may find over the top in terms of their offending nature, while others will be completely on par with what you find funny.  If that is the case, share that experience with those closest to you.  Hell, even if you don’t like it but you think you know someone that will, spread the word.

This is not a request to keep reading once you have determined that Eat @ Shrimpy’s is not for you.  True, it does not hold all of the wholesome family goodness of the latest episode of Blondie or Beetle Bailey, but it is also not a safe option, and it is not meant to be.  If you would like the safe option, by all means please go read the comics that are nationally syndicated.  They will provide you with safe, politically correct humor (is that an oxymoron, it sure sounds like one) that you will not be afraid to laugh at in front of your friends.

Because this is a work of fiction, distributed for free over the lovely inter-web, it is obviously made for the enjoyment of others.  If you do not enjoy this comic strip for a consistent amount of time, drop me a line, tell me what you think I am doing wrong.  I welcome all criticism, positive or negative and if I can, without sacrificing my own personal code of ethics, I will try to implement any constructive criticism down the proverbial road.  If it is a particular strip or storyline that you do not enjoy, stick around, there is a new strip every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and new storylines start between every 15-30 strips. 

I appreciate your current and hopefully future patronage of this strip and the site that it resides at. 

Jersey Nightmare

This seems like the logical conclusion to yesterday's strip.  

Commissions

Commissions are always open.  If you have something that you want to see drawn by me please drop me a line and we will figure out the details.  Prices are reasonable depending on the scope of the project, plus you get a free standard print of your favorite strip with each purchase, how could you ask for anything more?

In that same vein, if you see a comic strip on here that you just have to have for your own, to hang on the fridge, or in your bathroom, let me know which one you have your eye on and the size that you want it at.  All strip prints are printed on cardstock and signed by me.

Sizes:

14x5 (oversize print) - $20

8.5x3 (standard print) - $10

5x1.75 (bookmark) - $5

Curioser and Curioser

While I would never wish for a Jersey Shore sex tape myself, it does seem odd that there isn't one in existence yet.  Hell, even Kim Kardashian did it, and you can't tell me that the Snooki and her gang of meatballs are better than that attention whore.  Of course, if anyone reading this owns a copy of a Jersey Shore sex tape, you need to burn it in a ritualized sacrifice, almost like a voodoo doll, or else its images ill haunt you for the rest of your days.